Nick Clegg: former Lib Dem leader's move to Meta explained - what is his salary?

Nick Clegg is making headlines after offering his thoughts on artificial intelligence (AI), just as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's safety summit begins at Bletchley Park.

The former Liberal Democrat leader, who is now president of global affairs at Facebook’s parent company Meta, suggested that the government and members of the public were overreacting about the dangers of AI - comparing the "panic" to that which was directed towards video games in the 1980s.

He said: "New technologies always lead to hype. They often lead to excessive zeal amongst the advocates and excessive pessimism amongst the critics. I remember the 80s. There was this moral panic about video games, radio, the bicycle, the internet."

However, Clegg did also warn that politicians should prepare for AI to be used to interfere with upcoming elections, saying that it was important for industry and government to co-operate on this. The former Deputy PM will be one of the many powerful executives attending the AI summit on Wednesday (1 November) and Thursday (2 November).

But who exactly is Nick Clegg? Here's everything you need to know - from his family life and career in politics, to his current role with Meta and how much he earns there.

Who is Nick Clegg?

Nick Clegg, 56, is a politician-turned-social media executive. He was Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands from 1999 to 2004 and then served as the MP for Sheffield Hallam from 2005 to 2017, during which time he worked his way up through the ranks to become leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Between 2010 and 2015, Clegg served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, when the Lib Dems formed a coalition government with the Conservative Party - then led by former PM David Cameron.

Clegg has since switched career paths and currently holds a key role at Meta. He joined the company in 2018 as the vice president of global affairs at Facebook, before being promoted to president of global affairs at Meta in early 2022.

Clegg was born in Buckinghamshire and attended Westminster School, before going on to study at the University of Cambridge. He is married to Miriam González Durántez, who is a Spanish international trade lawyer, vice chair of UBS Europe, and founder of Inspiring Girls. They have two children together.

Leadership of the Liberal Democrats

Clegg was announced as leader of the Liberal Democrats towards the end of 2007, but didn't quite make it to the forefront of politics until the lead-up to the 2010 general election. During this time, his popularity surged - with many praising his performances in Britain's first ever televised debates.

In some polls, the Liberal Democrats came out ahead of both Labour and the Conservatives, but ultimately finished third place and won only 57 seats. However, because neither Labour nor the Conservatives had managed to secure a majority, the Liberal Democrats quickly became relevant again as both parties sought to form a coalition.

The Liberal Democrats ultimately joined the Conservatives, and the two parties formed a coalition government with David Cameron as Prime Minister and Clegg as Deputy PM.

Things came to an end for Clegg in the 2015 general election, which saw a disastrous performance for the Liberal Democrats. Only eight MPs held on to their seats in Parliament, and although Clegg was one of those who did, the Conservatives had won a majority and no longer needed a coalition to rule.

Clegg resigned as party leader the day after the election, and was succeeded by Tim Farron. In 2017, Clegg failed to maintain his seat and was therefore no longer an MP.

Move to Meta

One year after leaving politics, Clegg joined Facebook (now known as Meta) as vice president of global affairs. This was a time when the company was facing intense scrutiny over the way its platform had been used to spread false information during the 2016 US presidential election.

In response, Clegg formed an external oversight board - which was tasked with reviewing Facebook's decisions on what content to take down from or leave on the platform. In January 2021, this board decided to uphold Donald Trump’s suspension from Facebook following his use of the platform in relation to the riots at the US Capitol.

In 2022, Clegg was promoted to president of global affairs at Meta. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement at the time: "For the last three years, Nick has managed some of the most complex issues our company faces – including content policy, elections, the establishment of the oversight board, and more. Nick will now lead our company on all our policy matters, including how we interact with governments as they consider adopting new policies and regulations, as well as how we make the case publicly for our products and our work."

How much does he earn?

According to The Times, Clegg's annual salary at Meta is £2.7 million. However, upon receiving his promotion, he also banked a £10 million bonus - according to Reuters.